


That's Ruff Buddy

by alleycatforthelulz



Series: Actor AU Ideas [1]
Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: "it's all Crinkly Wrinkly's fault" an AU, Actor AU, Carol shows up at the end part but is just as important, Gen, KO doesn't think things through and tries to solve his own problems bc he's a kid, KO is peanut Turbo is jelly i'm alleycat and thanks for coming to my ted talk, Rad and Enid also briefly appear at the beginning but that's all, Turbo is a bit better but only a little bit bc his answer is to go to the internet, also sorry for the bad image quality but idk how to mess with that stuff, if someone wants to take this idea go ahead but not in That way plz, note: author does not know how a film set actually works, should I technically tag Crinkly Wrinkly or no? I'm going with no, the end felt weak but i didn't know how to go on from there so take fluff instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 16:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alleycatforthelulz/pseuds/alleycatforthelulz
Summary: this started out as a drabble that morphed into a fic based onthis postI put on tumblr after one too many late night think sessions.OR how That One Episode (You Know the OneFleas) might have went down in Actor AU.





	That's Ruff Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> um, so this is very different from how I usually write with a lot of side notes and anecdotes in the story but I feel like it works for this AU? anyway, some important things to note about the show:
> 
> -the only reason i'm fine with the characterization (other than this originally being a joke fic) is bc the actor AU shows that the characters do loosely act like the ones in-show but with slight differences. how I rationalized this in my head is that the show's characters are based on the actors themselves, especially if they say that Pilot isn't reflective of their current work, since during a Pilot characters are usually in their last stages of being fleshed out. so in-show KO's personality is based on actor KO's personality.
> 
> -that being said, Turbo is a lot more mellow than his show counterpart but just as emotionally compromised. he's also more open to the affection KO and Carol (and partially Rad and Enid) give though he does the token complaints ("You're messing up my hair Mom." "Ew, gross."). he only acts full on edgy when something is particularly upsetting him. also, he and KO are brothers! twins! :D
> 
> -as will be explained in-fic, wereanimals function a bit differently in this AU. bc you can't believe everything you see on TV!
> 
> -Chip Damage is a separate franchise in-universe that partnered with the studio. so yes, every time we see Chip Damage merchandise they are basically advertising lol
> 
> -not really a not about the universe but there is a scene about sharing a drink? idk if that squicks you out, it personally doesn't for me since I grew up with three younger siblings and we constantly had to share food and drink (like, my mom would order a 20 piece nugget combo and my sister and me would share the meal. it filled us up and was cheaper than happy meals.) but if it does for you just be warned that it is there.

It was on a normal Tuesday afternoon that what would come to be known as the Bite of 28 occurred. It was labeled as a mere on-set accident, filed away within the rest of the numerous complaints and injuries that come with a show like this. However, to those effected, it would never be a mere “accident.”

As said before, it was a normal Tuesday on the set of _OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes_ and the main cast was in the middle of shooting their latest episode, “We’ve Got Fleas.” It was a surprisingly linear shooting this time as most of the latter part of the episode was reliant on the episodes props and special effects. They would be filming most of the dialogue heavy scenes with most of the action scenes taking a backseat today. The director had also pushed for finishing off all the “human (or alien in Rad’s case)” scenes first so that they wouldn’t be wasting time on costume switches. It had required for some action sequences to already be filmed but it had saved time in the long run.

In fact, it had happened when they were filming the last of the “human” scenes.

“Alright, scene whatever, something something, take fifty-ugggh, action,” the director droned out. It just couldn’t be helped that the morale of the set had taken somewhat of a nosedive at the end. Working with Crinkly Wrinkly tended to do that to a person, and said fox’s costars were no exception as they took their spots with haggard groans.

The beginning went smooth enough as the Bodega Bros begged Crinkly Wrinkly to bite them, the fox reacting with the appropriate amount of shock (to the relief of the offstage medic who had be called in twice at that point due to nobody knowing exactly if Crinkly Wrinkly was faking a near heart attack or not). The next part was simple game of reverse Keep Away with Crinkly Wrinkly. Rad and Enid had been prepared with padding beforehand to their arm and hand, respectively, though it had taken a while to find the exact shade of blue for Rad, but KO had no option for that as the script called for a bite to the nose.

In retrospect, that hadn’t been the smartest idea to have the up and coming child star be face to face with a possibly senile werefox but when the possibly senile werefox _billionaire_ was the one funding the show, you learn that sometimes the easiest way is to look the other way. And at the end of a long day enduring the company of the possibly senile werefox, everyone was ready to just head home.

But anyways, the scene was going great. Enid flung the werefox towards KO who caught him with ease. The line of, “Why, thank ya sonny!” was expected. The sharp and jarring movement of the werefox’s head and sudden rush of pain was not.

KO yelped in pain and Crinkly Wrinkly was partially thrown, partially ollied out on his own, out of KO’s hands. The child star grabbed at his nose and couldn’t help another exclamation of pain. The sound of Rad’s laughter grabbed his attention and he realized that no one had caught onto the fact that he had be bitten for real and was likely in need of a rabies shot. It was then that the cardinal rule of show business presented itself to him.

_The show must go on KO!_

As the scene continued to play out, the child star blocked out the pain as well as he could in time for his next line. He couldn’t help that the frown he leveled at the werefox was a touch more irate than the scene called for or that the anger in his words was clear as he cried, “You weren’t supposed to like it!” In the corner of his eye, his acting coach gave an impressed nod at the delivery.

“ALRIGHT CUT!” the director called. KO gave a sigh of relief and relaxed his rigid posture, giving his throbbing nose another pat. “We have one more part for this scene before the special effects and costume crew start in on the heavy work. Is the bus on standby ready for action?”

Rad took this moment between scenes to lean over towards KO. “Great performance man, you made it seem like he really bit you,” the older teen praised with prideful smirk. “I myself might have added in a bit more ‘omph’ to it but good job kid.”

“Oh, tha-that was nothing,” KO blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. Enid snickered at that and ruffled his hair before pausing to give the child a serious look.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she questioned.

KO hesitated for a moment and was caught in a conundrum. With the scene so close to its end and the day almost over, did he really want to stop production now over a silly little bite? But his friends were worried about him, and he didn’t like lying to them! No! He’d see this through to the end. Besides, if any of that talk about wereanimals was true, there was no way this would be allowed, safety contract or no. As Rad would say, that couldn’t be legal.

(They would allow it but KO didn’t know that and it was besides the point.)

“Alright, next part, we’re having this be one and done folks! I am _not_ going to sit here another two hours when I have sweet potato pie waiting for me at home! Lights, camera, action!”

The Bodega Bros quickly fell into place as the short scene began to play out. KO tried to ignore the slowly creeping feeling of guilt in his stomach and focused on the scene ahead. Rad finished his joke just as the bus pulled up behind them. Crinkly Wrinkly grinned down at them but for some reason his eyes seemed to pierce the child star and his laughter echoed in his ears.

“Enjoy your cuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrsssseeeee!”

* * *

With the filming done for the day, KO retired to his trailer, which he shared with his brother Turbo and their mommy. In a rare show, he decided that he was done for the day with acting and settled down in front of the TV for some good old fashioned videos game. Being able to incorporate the Chip Damage franchise led to a lot of perks, with having the latest game released being one of them.

As he settled down on his beanbag, he heard the front door open followed by the sound of slightly stomped footsteps. Without looking, he held up a second controller and Turbo took it as he settled into his own beanbag.

“Woah, rough day, huh?” his brother said. KO grunted in reply. While it hadn’t been as awful as some of the other episodes (that spot was reserved for “Face Your Fears” and “Second First Date,” the former being a nightmare of special effects and CGI while the latter had made being around Rad and Enid insufferable. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his friends, but when something really sparked their competitive streak, you knew it was going to be a long day), having to work any extended amount of time with Crinkly Wrinkly usually wore on one’s nerves.

“Crinkly Wrinkly,” KO answered as he started up the game. Turbo shuddered in understanding. He himself had not yet had the horror of working alongside the werefox, as his character seldom shared scenes with those outside of the main cast bubble. He had worked as KO’s extra before, notably during the production of “You’re Level 100” when KO had caught the flu partway through the filming which would eventually lead to his subsequent role today, but he had never been face to face with the werefox.

“Let’s just play, ok?” KO sighed with a weary smile. Turbo nodded and soon they were laughing and hollering at each other as they raced to finish the level. It was nice to be able to sit back and relax once in a while, KO reflected, but it was even nicer crushing your brother in a normally evenly matched battle.

_Whap whap whap_

“Oh come one, that powerbuff literally spawned as soon as you got there! It doesn’t count!” Turbo groaned though KO could see the hint of a smirk on his brother’s face. Giggles threatened to rise and he let them.

_Whap whap whap_

Turbo tried to keep a grumpy face but the more KO laughed the more the frown on his face wobbled as he tried to keep his own laughter in. Once KO reached the phase of wheeze laughter, Turbo knew he had lost.

_Whap whap whap whap whap_

The boys laughter filled the air as a mixture of exhaustion and familial bonding fueled it. When it had finally seemed to calm down, Turbo let out a chucklesnort that sent KO into hysterics and soon the cycle repeated again.

_Whap whap whapwhapwhapwhapwhap_

“What is that sound anyway?” Turbo finally asked as they caught their breath.

_whapwhapwhapwhapwhap_

KO was still on the verge of giggling again. “H-hehe, wh-what sound?”

_Whapwhapwhap whapwhap whap_

“You know, that,” he mimicked the sound, “ _whap_.”

 _Whap whap… whap_ _whap_

KO stopped for a moment and listened.

_Whap whap whap_

“Huh.” It sounded like it was coming from behind him.

_Whap whap_

“Uh, bro?” Turbo leaned back in his beanbag, eyes locked on something behind KO. He had a sinking feeling that somehow he was not going to like it.

_Whap_

Twisting to look behind him, it felt like it took hours to find what was wrong. Sitting there behind him was a puppy tail that had no business being there. He imagined it moving to the left. It moved to the left. He imagined it moving to the right. It moved to the right. Thus, his first logical course of action was to grab it and yank it as hard as he could because there was no way it was attached, right?

The following cry of pain sounded a bit more puppy-ish then he would have liked. His breathing became heavier and sounded more like panting by the minute. Was he always this itchy?  Always this wired? How much of this was in his head?

“Alright, let’s calm down and figure out what happened,” Turbo’s voice broke through the ensuing panic in KO’s head. He looked uncomfortable as he slowly patted KO’s shoulder. The motion and feeling were a welcome focal point. Turbo cleared his throat.

“Did you eat anything…” he slowly trailed off as a look of realization dawned on him. “Crinkly Wrinkly bit you, didn’t he?”

KO ignored the incredulous tone to his brother’s voice and wrung his hands instead. “In my defense, he seemed really sweet at first! Which, since he’s always sweet before he does something Crinkly Wrinkly-ish, seems obvious now that he was going to.”

“There are literal warning signs all over the set warning people about Crinkly Wrinkly biting them. _Tons_ of them.” To emphasis his point, Turbo walked over to the kitchen area and pointed to the wall. On it rested a quaint little “Home Sweet Home” cross-stitch, gifted to them by Raymond during the Christmas party a while back, whose homey aura was immediately demolished by the warning sign resting above it that proclaimed to never ever let Crinkly Wrinkly bite you and that the studio was not responsible for any transgressions or injuries to person if he did.

“I didn’t see them!”

“It’s the first line of the safety contract!”

“I DIDN’T READ IT OK?” KO screeched before sinking down to his knees and muttering to himself, “I always knew legal bindings would be my undoing one day…”

His brother just shook his head in bewilderment before sighing at the gloomy air that hovered around KO. “Let’s… let’s just see what we can find online, ok?” It wasn’t the best place for answers but they had learned how to make a cake from it. Granted, it took several tries, shifting through videos that didn’t explain anything (there was a difference between baking soda and baking powder?), and a threat from the on-set emergency responders if they set off the fire alarm again, but Carol had said it was the liveliest birthday party she had in years.

“The Internet is useless!” KO howled. He threw his phone dramatically up in the air and Turbo only rolled his eyes at him, snatching the device out of the air before it inevitably smacked his brother in the face.

He scoffed at the question in the search bar and deleted it. Quickly typing in, “i was bitten by a wereanimal,” a variety of pages soon showed up. Scrolling past the obvious clickbait (some poor idiot had posted “#1 Most Influential Wereanimal of the Year” with a picture of Crinkly Wrinkly and actually expected—oh wait, no, it was just ClickHero), he finally found an article that seemed a little bit factual, even if it looked like it came from the era of early 200X.

“Here, read this,” he muttered, tossing the phone back to his brother. Ignoring the sputtering behind him, he headed to the kitchen to grab a snack of unhealthy food choices. KO’s cries died away behind him and he could only assume that his brother finally started reading. His debate of whether or not to grab a juice box or a soda (coffee was banned from the house, along with other liquids like Hero Tonic) when KO’s bad life choices reared its head again.

“I’m going to turn into an animal every full moon?!”

Sighing, Turbo grabbed the juice box (Mommy would be so proud, though he kept that thought to himself) and headed back towards the living room area. KO had switched positions in the few minutes he had been gone and was now fully stretched across both beanbags. (He noticed the tufts of fur beginning to poke out of his brother’s shirt and chose not to comment on it. He didn’t deal with emotional situations well, that was KO’s area dang it, but with KO out of commission on this misadventure he had to take the reins somehow.)

He nudged KO over with his foot and flopped down, scanning the article over KO’s shoulder as he did so. He had to bite back another sigh. “You dummy, that’s the section for people _born_ as wereanimals. You want the section for people _turned_ into wereanimals, scroll down.” He took a sip of his juice box.

KO followed Turbo’s instructions until the correct section popped up. He made grabby hands at Turbo’s juice box which his brother relinquished with an eye roll. Sipping it, he began to read, briefly recoiling at the burst of pineapple flavor.

KO frowned. “It says here that it takes anywhere from half a day to a day to change but in the script it was like _that_.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

“Yeah, well, don’t believe everything you see on TV,” Turbo snorted.

KO nodded seriously and went back to reading. But the more he seemed to read, the less hopeful his situation became. He handed over the juice box without complaint when his brother poked his side, too caught up in his own misery to even comment on the too rough poke.

Turbo took a sip of the juice box, assessing the situation. “Well, it isn’t all bad. You’ll have, like, super senses and stuff.” There was an awkward pause.

“But Enid already has all that and she’s not a wereanimal,” KO finally muttered.

“She is half werewolf already,” Turbo pointed out, pausing as he mulled over the thought. “Actually, how would that even work for her? Would being bit even cause anything to happen?”

“Maybe? I don’t know if her dad became a werewolf before or after she was born though. Maybe she’s not actually half werewolf?”

“Huh, that’s interesting. So being bit either does nothing or turns her.”

“Or maybe it activates something inside her. Oh, but it isn’t the bite itself that does that, it’s—” KO glanced at the phone. “—the ‘admission of enzymes into the body through saliva.’”

“Spit? Gross.” Turbo’s eyes widened and a terrified look flashed across his face. “Wait, that means  you got Crinkly Wrinkly’s spit on you.”

KO’s face grew pale and made it harder to ignore the dark fur that was slowly inching its way across his skin. His eyes widened more as they focused in on Turbo in particular, his mouth resembling a fish. Turbo waited but when it became clear that KO wouldn’t say it, he grew irritated.

“What? Spit it out.”

“Promise you won’t get mad.”

“What? Why would I—”

“Just promise?”

“Fine, fine, I agree to this dumb baby promise.”

“No takebacks?”

“Ugh, no takebacks.”

KO gulped and nodded. He pointed to Turbo. “So does that count?”

Turbo was lost for a minute. “Does what count—” He followed KO’s finger to the juice box and it clicked.

* * *

Later, there would be conflicting reports about the how and the why and the when of the Bite of 28 (most notably in the oddest report, the who was also called into question). But every report had the same detail in common: the unholy screech that went up in the trailers at precisely 7:05 that evening.

##  **_“KO I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU!”_  **

##  **_“I’M[SORRY!](https://youtu.be/ntITvZTrib0?t=11)”_**

* * *

Back in the trailer, Turbo had pinned KO facedown in the beanbags. The other squirmed out of his grasp and shot towards the bathroom, Turbo hot on his tail (literally). KO skidded across the floor as he slid into the room, scrambling to lock the door. Pounding on the door soon followed and KO could only sink wearily against the wall.

Scanning the area, he spotted a mirror and saw his reflection for the first time since the whole mess had started. Fur had already grown down to his elbows and knees and his face looked a bit funny. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and he rubbed at them desperately to stop the oncoming flow. But it was all just too scary! He didn’t _want_ to be a wereanimal! It was all just one big accident!

Turbo, hearing the sniffling through the door, ceased his pounding. He shifted uncomfortably from one leg to the other, not quite sure what to do. While he was mad at KO for essentially dragging him down this rabbit hole, he knew it wasn’t his fault, not really. It was just easier to blame his brother for it when it was just as scary to him as it was for KO.

Luckily, his decision was made for him when he heard the front door open. “Boys! What’s this mess doing in the living room?”

Turbo had never felt such fear in his heart. He gave his brother a quickly stammered, “I-I got this,” before racing back towards the living room. Carol stood in full stern disappointment at the scattered snacks and juice box on the floor.

“Sorry Mommy, we got too into playing,” Turbo said, not even picking up on the slipped ‘Mommy’ as he picked up the area. Carol’s gaze softened and she ruffled his hair. She raised an eyebrow when he didn’t complain about the treatment.

“Ah, it’s ok Jelly, as long as you two remember to pick up after you’re done.” She glanced around the room with a bit of suspicion. “Speaking of, where’s Peanut?”

Turbo spasmed for a bit, chips bag slipping through his fingers, before spitting out without thought, “Bathroom.” He kept his head down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

If Carol hadn’t been suspicious before, she was now. She crouched down beside him. “Uh-huh, mind telling me what’s going on?”

“No,” he muttered. She would have coaxed more out of him but some shuffling from the hall caught their attention. KO poked his head with a quiet, “Hi Mommy,” and a little wave. She noted his teary eyes and snotty nose with worry. Out of the corner of her eye, Turbo froze up.

“Oh sweetie, what’s wrong?” she asked when KO made no move to come closer. He hesitated for a moment, inching back and forth, before dashing into his mother’s arms. It took her a minute to find the problem but when she did, she couldn’t help the rueful sigh. “Oh KO, old Crinkly Wrinkly got you?”

He sniffled and looked up at her. “Did everyone know about Crinkly Wrinkly except for me?”

“YES,” Turbo finally spoke up, shooting his brother a nasty look before looking away. He scooted closer to the two and didn’t say a peep when Carol swept him into their hug. Instead, he chose to burrow into her shoulder.

“We shared a juice box,” KO shared conspiratorially. Carol nodded in understanding with a weary smile.

“What am I going to do with you two?”

“Sell KO to the circus.”

“Hey!”

Carol laughed as the brothers stuck out their tongues to each other. “Ok boys, we’re going to have to go file this away with the board of complaints—”

“Really? It’s not that bad!”

“Says Mr. Puppytail over here.”

“You have one too!”

So he did. Turbo twisted around to glare at KO. “And whose fault is that?”

“Well—”

Their squabbling faded into the background as Carol sat back and analyzed the situation. While yes, they were fighting, both boys had relaxed from the tense wrecks that had been before. It wouldn’t be easy, she reflected, and she definitely needed to brush up on her wereanimals facts, but they could make it work.

“—but you have to admit, it’s pretty cute.”

“I’M NOT CUTE!”

_CRASH!_

…and there went the TV.

**Author's Note:**

> equally important notes/headcannons that either didn't make the cut or I couldn't work them in:
> 
> -Crinkly Wrinkly has two modes: the one that we usually see in show and his talk show voice (the one he uses in Legends of Gar). he is also as stated, one of the billionaires that funds the show. one of the others one is Cool Sun who is [the star of his own telenovela series](https://ok-ko.tumblr.com/post/163734315069/name-cool-sun-aka-the-sun-age-45-billion-years) and is treated as cameo/crossover character, along with Chip Damage.
> 
> -Shadowy Figure and Chip Damage are actually rather pleasant in this AU and love the work they get to do. Chip Damage in particular was rather excited to finally being playing a more "villainous" role and posted that it was "a very fun and rewarding role" on socialMedia. KO and Turbo, of course, are starstruck to be working with him and the two almost have an aneurysm when Chip later takes a selfie with them and posts it with the caption "these kids are going places! :)"
> 
> -while not outright enemies in this AU, the Bodega Bros and the Boxmore Bots are rivals instead and the groups frequently try to one up the other. that being said, they do get along well and are decent costars to each other.
> 
> -part of the reason KO, Turbo, and Carol get "home" at different times is bc they have different jobs. KO is an actor and is mainly on-set for filming and such, Turbo is an extra and usually helps behind the scenes and runs errands, and Carol, while also an actress, takes care of the paperwork and other side of things for the boys.
> 
> -also Venomous and Boxman are totally dating in this AU, much to Fink's displeasure (and also why she feels vindicated when she gets to harass Boxman in her scenes). Carol and Gar are also dating though they also have a more open and loose relationship. there's a constant power struggle between the two couple for who the main "Power Couple" is on the set though the couples deny this.
> 
> A BUNCH OF PKO HEADCANNONS NOW!
> 
> -PKO wandered onto set one day from the nearby woods and nobody knows where he came from or why he looks like KO and Turbo or how he even got onto private property. a true wild child.
> 
> -it was about 3-5 days before anybody even realized he was there. everyone kept mistaking him as either KO or Turbo and he never bothered to correct them. how everyone eventually finds out is like some Scooby-Doo episode where Enid's like, "hey KO," to PKO and then KO walks in and Rad's like, "that's not KO!" Enid shrugs, "sorry Turbo," then Turbo walks in and everyone becomes viscreally a f r a i d. "if he's not KO and he's not Turbo, then who is he?!" "hi." *screaming ensues*
> 
> -when he eventually settles into the set, he becomes the true CryptidTM of the cast. does he exist? is it some elaborate joke by KO and Turbo? is that him or KO? or Turbo?? why do his eyes glow in the dark??? he's very amused by this needless to say and takes to spooking the crew, much to their displeasure.
> 
> -so like, KO is peanut, Turbo is jelly, PKO is maybe jam? idk, help comments
> 
> -also I can't think of a name for him. PKO is obvs out and the P in his name stands for Perfect which is also a no go so plz help comments


End file.
